Dawn.
The splendid morning light slowly spilled from the east, as if coating the entire Blackstone City in a layer of gold.
Fang Xi returned to his own mansion and changed into a new set of clothes.
"Lusha was no match for me, but the information he revealed before his death is worth noting..."
Last night, with the help of talismans, he effortlessly exterminated the high-level members of the Red Snake Martial Hall, while the outer disciples remained unaware.
Moreover, he also used Lusha to conduct an experiment of his own.
"True strength cultivators are still at a disadvantage against high-grade magical weapons... Their bones are slightly harder than ordinary people, but as long as you avoid a few hard bones and focus on the vital points, you can easily win against the strong with the weak!"
Thinking back to Lusha's shocked expression when he witnessed the flying sword technique last night, Fang Xi still found it quite amusing.
...
After breakfast, Fang Xi arrived at the White Cloud Martial Hall.
"Junior Brother, you've finally arrived."
Mu Miaomiao was at the entrance of the martial hall, and upon seeing Fang Xi, her eyes lit up as she grabbed his hand and led him towards the inner courtyard.
"Junior Sister, what's the matter?" Fang Xi felt the surprised gazes of the disciples around them and discreetly withdrew his hand from Mu Miaomiao's grasp.
"My father's good friend has arrived, Uncle Hao is also a martial hall master..." Mu Miaomiao briefly introduced.
"Oh, it's Uncle Mu Canglong's guest, wanting me to help out?" Fang Xi roughly understood and did not refuse, following Mu Miaomiao into the hall.
"Haha, this must be the niece, looking more and more exquisite." At the main hall, Mu Canglong and a burly man with a red face were seated as host and guest.
Upon seeing Mu Miaomiao, the burly man's eyes lit up, and he instructed a young man in a red robe beside him, "Why haven't you paid your respects yet?"
"I am Hao Lan, greetings, Miss Mu." The young man, presumably Hao's nephew, approached with a gentle smile.
"My nephew is quite talented. At just nineteen years old, he has already reached the realm of three transformations of Qi and blood..." Hao laughed heartily.
"Haha... My daughter is so incompetent, only breaking through to the realm of three transformations of Qi and blood at twenty." Mu Canglong calmly sipped his tea and then pointed at Fang Xi, "But this disciple is not bad either, at seventeen this year, also at the realm of three transformations of Qi and blood."
"What?" Hao Lan's face suddenly became colorful, as if he had been struck by a knife.
"Haha... I have some matters to discuss with Brother Mu..." Hao, slightly shocked for a moment, quickly regained his composure.
"Well, Miaomiao, Fang Xi, take Hao Lan out for a stroll. Young people should get along well." Mu Canglong's expression also became solemn.
Fang Xi and Mu Miaomiao each paid their respects and left the hall.
Just before leaving, Fang Xi's ears twitched, catching the worried voice of Hao Lan, "Brother Mu, there seems to be something fishy about the previous operation to besiege the demonic beasts!"
...
"What major problem arose during the previous operation to besiege the demonic beasts?" Fang Xi pondered, while Hao Lan noticed Mu Miaomiao occasionally glancing at her junior brother, and he suddenly felt a surge of youthful spirit, "This junior brother unexpectedly broke through to the realm of three transformations of Qi and blood at seventeen. Hao Lan admires it. Why don't we have a friendly match?"
"This... there's no need, right?" Fang Xi refused.
At his current level as the master of the martial hall, facing an ordinary practitioner at the realm of three transformations of Qi and blood was like a leg against an arm.
"What? Is Senior Brother Fang afraid of losing in front of Miss Mu?" Hao Lan chuckled.
He believed that young people were easily provoked, and being stimulated like this would surely work.
Fang Xi, who was familiar with the situation, just rolled his eyes inwardly, not bothering to argue with a child, "Well... then I admit defeat. Brother Hao's strength is superior, I am ashamed in comparison!"
"Huh?" Hao Lan widened his eyes, as if seeing Fang Xi in a new light.
After a long while, he finally uttered, "I have never seen someone like Senior Brother Fang..."
...
"Brother Mu, please keep today's events in mind."
At the main entrance of the White Cloud Martial Hall.
Hao Lan bid farewell to Mu Canglong with his nephew, and Mu Miaomiao and Fang Xi stood among the crowd to see them off.
"Why did you just admit defeat?" Mu Miaomiao approached Fang Xi, quietly inquiring.
"A meaningless fight, why bother?" Fang Xi countered, lowering his eyelids.
Instead of competing with children, it was better to consider the strange atmosphere surrounding Blackstone City recently.
It seemed... something extraordinary had happened since the last demon hunt.
Just as he was contemplating, a sudden cry rang out not far away:
"Murder!"
The voice was piercing, almost tearing through the sky.
"Hmm?" Fang Xi furrowed his brow and followed the martial hall crowd to the source of the sound.
After turning a street corner, they saw a group of people running frantically, avoiding several... strange individuals behind them.
"What are these... things?"
With keen eyesight, Fang Xi saw the true faces of these strange individuals—sunken cheeks with wooden tendrils protruding from their seven orifices.
At that moment, one of the strange individuals casually grabbed a passerby, and tendrils pierced into the person's body.
"Ah!"
The innocent passerby screamed in agony, shrinking in size rapidly, their eyes gradually losing their vitality.
"It feels like some kind of puppet?"
As a cultivator, Fang Xi's knowledge was quite extensive.
Witnessing this scene, he couldn't help but feel speechless: 'I was so naive and foolish before, thinking this was a low-level martial world...'
"Help... save me!"
"Sob... mother..."
The fear of the strange individuals seemed to spread rapidly among the crowd.
A large number of people panicked and fled in all directions, a child fell by the roadside, crying.
"Get up quickly."
Hao Lan grabbed the child and swiftly retreated towards the direction of the martial hall with the others.
"Brother Mu!" Hao Lan's father roared, his fists smashing towards one of the strange individuals like rolling stones.
Thud!
Wherever his true strength passed, the strange individual was directly struck, their spine broken, and their body split in half.
"Hao, get out of the way!"
However, Mu Canglong's eyes twitched, shouting in alarm.
"Ah!"
Hao Lan cried out in pain, looking at his own palm, which now had several blood holes that had appeared at some point.
"At least a Greater Demon, possibly even..."
Mu Canglong's expression became extremely grave, roaring, "White Cloud Martial Hall disciples, follow orders! Retreat to the hall and defend the walls!"
"Yes, sir!"
Mu Miaomiao glanced at her father and led her junior brother back to the martial hall.
Fang Xi looked up to see Mu Canglong wielding a steel rod, locked in combat with one of the strange individuals.
He watched as the collapsed shelves on the street, a tambourine rolling a few times on the ground before stopping at his feet.
This seemingly bustling prosperous era was like a soap bubble, bursting at a touch...
The speed was so fast, it truly gave a sense of illusion.
"Go!"
Hao Lan didn't know why he felt sorry for the child he saw and ended up saving him.
But by the time he came to his senses, several strange individuals had already surrounded them.
This time, the strange individuals were different from the previous ones, with no tree tendrils protruding from their seven orifices, but they bore eerie black marks on their bodies, wriggling like tadpoles, covering most of their cheeks like grotesque masks.
"Watch my family's inherited... Rolling Stone Fist!"
He took a deep breath, and the powerful force of the three transformations of Qi and blood surged out like raging waves and thunder.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crack!
Hao Lan screamed in pain, feeling the bones in his right hand breaking.
He looked at one of the strange individuals pouncing towards him, couldn't help but smile bitterly, and closed his eyes.
Boom!
The next moment, a loud noise rang out.
"What are you waiting for, run!"
Fang Xi kicked one of the strange individuals away, a green short sword appearing in his hand, slashing at the approaching strange individual.
Dark red blood splattered, lingering on the blade.
"I've obtained some blood, I can study it later or take it to the immortal realm to have someone look at it..."
Fang Xi's main goal was to get a sample, as for Hao Lan?
Just based on his earlier act of saving the child, he felt a slight fondness and decided to help.
As a cultivator, one should act as they please and do what they want.
"So... powerful!"
Hao Lan was almost dumbfounded.
Having just fought against those strange individuals, he knew how tough they were.
He had only made a few moves and already broken his hand, while Fang Xi dealt with them effortlessly.
Thinking back to Fang Xi's calm admission of defeat earlier, Hao Lan's cheeks turned as red as a monkey's bottom, feeling embarrassed, "I'm so foolish, really..."
...
A little earlier in time.
Blackstone City, the location of the Great Liang Government Office.
The backyard of the government office.
One after another, demonic beasts appeared, including the double-headed demon wolf from before, and even several missing martial hall masters.
The ground was covered in blood, with no living person in sight.
The possessed demonic beasts and powerful warriors gathered together, suddenly letting out a mournful roar, their flesh and blood bursting.
Amidst the splattering blood and flesh, vine-like things emerged, intertwining and growing long roots that pierced into the ground.
Soon, a strange black giant tree grew from the flesh and blood.
Countless roots emerged from the white bones and skulls, supporting the main trunk of the giant black tree. Vein-like patterns resembling blood vessels appeared on the bark, and in the huge black canopy, faint faces seemed to appear and disappear.
Black roots descended from the sky, piercing into the bodies of the nearby strange individuals that had appeared.
Life and death, evil and beauty...
Various harmonious and disharmonious, symmetrical and asymmetrical elements could be found on this eerie life!
After the emergence of this strange black blood giant tree, its massive canopy expanded freely around it, a faint mist appearing and gradually thickening...
"Damn, it's a 'demon'!"
Not far away, the experts from the Yuanhe Mountain branch were all present, with Linghu Yang at the forefront!
Linghu Yang watched this scene, gritting his teeth in hatred, "The frequent migration of demonic beasts near Blackstone City is because a 'demon' has been born! At this moment, this demon has chosen to take root in the center of Blackstone City... Blackstone City... is finished!"
(End of Chapter)